Thirty-eight players from 23 teams across the USL Championship and USL League One were on Friday named in the preliminary rosters for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, set to begin next month across the United States.
Included in the group were three Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, Jordan Dover, Mekeil Williams and Jelani Peters numerous familiar faces, and some first-time call-ups across 13 national teams that will participate in the final qualifying stage of the tournament and the 13 countries that have already qualified for the opening group stage.
Only fellow Atlantic Division club, Miami FC, has more players selected to preliminary rosters for the Gold Cup than the Riverhounds.
In 2019, the 26 year-old Dover made three appearances in the Gold Cup with Guyana , the birth nation of his parents (Dover grew up in Canada). Dover make his international debut against the United States on June 18, 2019.
The Stars and Stripes prevailed 4-0 in St. Paul, Minn., to begin group play, but the Hounds’ own Jordan Dover might be the person involved who took the most from the match. Not only was Guyana making its debut in CONCACAF’s biennial tournament, Tuesday also marked Dover’s first cap with his parents’ birth nation.
Starting at right back, where he’s established himself as a reliable performer since arriving in Pittsburgh in 2018, Dover got caught chasing U.S. midfielder Paul Arriola in that game’s opening goal.
THERE IT IS! 🇺🇸
Paul Arriola scores the first USA goal of #GoldCup2019! pic.twitter.com/1mZWTFirj4
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 19, 2019
A native of Ajax, Ontario, Canada, Dover attended and played soccer at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay from 2012-15.
Williams has been a regular with Trinidad & Tobago in the past decade.
Williams has made 36 appearances for the Soca Warriors, appearing in both the 2015 and 2019 Gold Cup and FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the Soca Warriors. He also scored on his international debut in 2012 in a friendly against Finland.
Peters also received a call-up to the Trinidad and Tobago National Team in 2016 during qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. He was on the bench for matches against Costa Rica and Honduras in the final qualifying round but has yet to make his international debut.
In addition, numerous former Riverhounds SC players including Thomas Vancaeyezeele (French Guyana) and Christiano Francois (Haiti) were selected to represent their respective countries and one former Robert Morris University standout, Devon “Speedy” Williams, has been selected for Jamaican National team’s squad.
Below is the full list of USL Championship players who will be representing their nations during the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Qualifying Round / Championship & League One Preliminary Roster Selections
Bermuda – Zeiko Lewis (Charleston Battery)
Cuba – Raiko Arozarena (Tampa Bay Rowdies), Jorge Corrales (FC Tulsa), Modesto Mendez (Fort Lauderdale CF), Dairon Reyes (Fort Lauderdale CF)
French Guiana – Thomas Vancaeyezeele (San Diego Loyal SC)
Guadeloupe – Luther Archimede (New York Red Bulls II)
Guyana – Jordan Dover (Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC)
Haiti – Ronaldo Damus (Orange County SC), Francois Dulysse (Fort Lauderdale CF), Christiano Francois (Miami FC), Zach Herivaux (Birmingham Legion FC), Mechack Jerome (El Paso Locomotive FC), Bryan Sylvestre (Miami FC)
St. Vincent and the Grenadines – Kyle Edwards (Rio Grande Valley FC)
Trinidad and Tobago – Leland Archer (Charleston Battery), Dre Fortune (Memphis 901 FC), Shannon Gomez (Sacramento Republic FC), Neveal Hackshaw (Indy Eleven), Triston Hodge (Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC), Jelani Peters (Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC), Mekeil Williams (Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC)
2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Group Stage / Championship & League One Preliminary Roster Selections
Curacao – Zeus De La Paz (Oakland Roots SC)
El Salvador – Eric Calvillo (Orange County SC), Walmer Martinez (Hartford Athletic), Amando Moreno (New Mexico United), Joaquin Rivas (FC Tulsa)
Grenada – Kharlton Belmar (Sacramento Republic FC), AJ Paterson (Charleston Battery)
Jamaica – Brian Brown (New Mexico United), Junior Flemmings (Birmingham Legion FC), Omar Gordon (Austin Bold FC), Dane Kelly (Charlotte Independence), Kevon Lambert (Phoenix Rising FC), Peter-Lee Vassel (Indy Eleven), Lamar Walker (Miami FC), Speedy Williams (Miami FC)
United States – Jonathan Gomez (Louisville City FC)
Countries Represented by Club
Austin Bold FC (1): Omar Gordon (JAM)
Birmingham Legion FC (2): Junior Flemmings (JAM), Zach Herivaux (HAI)
Charleston Battery (3): Zeiko Lewis (BER), AJ Paterson (GRN), Leland Archer (T&T)
Charlotte Independence (1): Dane Kelly (JAM)
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (1): Triston Hodge (T&T)
El Paso Locomotive FC (1): Mechack Jerome (HAI)
Fort Lauderdale CF (3): Modesto Mendez (CUB), Dairon Reyes (CUB), Francois Dulysse (HAI)
Hartford Athletic (1): Walmer Martinez (SLV)
Indy Eleven (2): Neveal Hackshaw (T&T), Peter-Lee Vassel (JAM)
Louisville City FC (1): Jonathan Gomez (USA)
Memphis 901 FC (1): Dre Fortune (T&T)
Miami FC (4): Christiano Francois (HAI), Bryan Sylvestre (MIA), Lamar Walker (JAM), Speedy Williams (JAM)
New Mexico United (2): Amando Moreno (SLV), Brian Brown (JAM)
New York Red Bulls II (1): Luther Archimede (GDL)
Oakland Roots SC (1): Zeus De La Paz (CUR)
Orange County SC (1): Ronaldo Damus (HAI), Eric Calvillo (SLV)
Phoenix Rising FC (1): Kevon Lambert (JAM)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (3): Jordan Dover (GUY), Mekeil Williams (T&T), Jelani Peters (T&T)
Rio Grande Valley FC (1): Kyle Edwards (VIN)
Sacramento Republic FC (2): Kharlton Belmar (GRN), Shannon Gomez (T&T)
San Diego Loyal SC (1): Thomas Vancaeyezeele (GUF)
Tampa Bay Rowdies (1): Raiko Arozarena (CUB)